by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 56 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,723 doctor's degrees in social sciences to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of social sciences for getting your doctor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for social sciences students working on their doctor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in social sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
University of Pennsylvania is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in social sciences. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Pennsylvania
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in social sciences. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York
It is difficult to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Northwestern University
It is difficult to beat Johns Hopkins University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Johns Hopkins University
UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of Chicago
Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Duke University
Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Cornell University
Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Stanford University
Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Harvard University
Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from Brown University
Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in social sciences from University of California - Berkeley
Here are some additional great schools for Social Sciences students that almost earned our Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN |
| 13 | Yale University | New Haven, CT |
| 14 | Georgetown University | Washington, DC |
| 15 | Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA |
| 16 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 17 | New York University | New York, NY |
| 18 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
View the Best Social Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Economics | 1,385 |
| Political Science & Government | 737 |
| Sociology | 602 |
| Anthropology | 472 |
| Geography & Cartography | 199 |
| International Relations & National Security | 94 |
| Other Social Sciences | 83 |
| Urban Studies | 44 |
| General Social Sciences | 26 |
| Demography & Population Studies | 15 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 2,718 |
| English Language & Literature | 1,184 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 1,110 |
| History | 807 |
| Communication & Journalism | 685 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 656 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 449 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 258 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 94 |
